Filing drawer motion control



July 11, 1967 D. E. BARTH 3,330,613

FILING DRAWER MOTION CONTROL Filed Dec. 6, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I i l a i i S 1N VENTOR.

@wmwfiwmm A TTOPNEYS July 11, 1967 D. E. BARTH 3,330,613

' FILING DRAWER MOTION CONTROL Filed Dec. 6, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R8; INVENTOR.

DA (/10 E. EARTH 4 TTOP E NS.

United States Patent 3,330,613 FILING DRAWER MOTION CONTROL David E. Barth, Buffalo, N.Y., assignor to Art Metal, Inc, Jamestown, N.Y. Filed Dec. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 511,916 8 Claims. (Cl. 312-331) This invention relates to filing cabinets of the type comprising a shell or casing mounting filing drawers or the like in horizontal sliding relation therein. More particularly, the invention relates to improved drawer motion control means for guiding the drawer against yawing relative to the casing and for limiting the extent of drawer travel outwardly of the casing. The invention is particularly applicable to arrangements wherein the drawers are suspended relative to the cabinet by suspension means of the type disclosed for example in the co-pending patent application Ser. No. 454,387 of John E. Foster filed May 10, 1965, now Patent No. 3,291,547, assigned to common assignee Art Metal, Inc. of Jamestown, NY.

It is an object of the present invention to provide in a filing cabinet or the like as aforesaid, improved means for guiding and controlling the drawer travel and stopping the drawer outward travel when it reaches a predetermined extended position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG, 1 is a front elevational view, with portions broken away, of a filing cabinet module embodying the invention; and showing therein a movable drawer in its retracted or closed position within the cabinet;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view, with portions broken away, of the device of FIG. 1; with the drawer stop means inoperative;

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 but showing the drawer in its open or extended position, and the drawer stop mechanism of the invention in action; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken as suggested by line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

The invention may be embodied in any type or style of filing cabinet or the like, but as shown by -way of example in the drawing herewith it is applied to a filing cabinet module comprising a shell or casing designated generally at 10. The shell is fabricated of sheet metal to include closed bottom, back, and side walls, while being left open at the front and top areas thereof. The back and side wall portions upwardly terminate in in-tuned flanges as shown at 11 whereby pluralities of such modules may be conveniently stacked one on top of another. The casing is dimensioned and constructed to accommodate in free sliding relation therein a filing drawer such as of the type which is illustrated and indicated generally at 12. This drawer is of the open front transverse filing type, and thus essentially comprises a bottom plate 14, opposite side plates 15, 15 and a black plate 16. The drawer bottom and back plate portions are perforated as indicated at 17, and thus accommodate in slip-fitting relation the extending ear portions 18 of any desired pluralities of vertical dividers 20 or the like (FIG. 4). Thus the drawer is of open tray-like form, adapted to accommodate in side-by-side vertically standing relation pluralities of correspondence filing folders, booklets, or the like.

As stated, it will be appreciated that pluralities of modular cabinets of the type shown herein may be readily disposed in vertically stacked relation simply by resting one cabinet on top of another; and detachable interconnection devices or the like may be employed to lock the meeting surfaces of adjacent cabinets together so as to hold the cabinets in vertically aligned relation and against forward tipping of the upper cabinets when their drawers 35305613 Patented July 11, 1967 'are pulled outwardly. As shown herein by way of example, the drawer 12 is supported relative to the cabinet shell by means of a hinge type support mechanism comprising a pair of hinged plates designated 24-24. One end of each front hinge plate is connected by means of a vertical pivot pin 25 to a corresponding rear corner portion of the filing drawer; and each rear hinge plate is connected at its rear end by means of a vertical pivot pin 26 to the corresponding rear vertical corner portion of the cabinet shell. Each pair of hinge plates is pivotally interconnected as indicated at 27.

The cabinet and filing drawer components are relatively dimensioned as shown best in FIG. 2, so that when the drawer 12 is disposed fully inside the cabinet the folded hinge devices 24-24 are substantially closed and nested inside the space between the rear wall of the drawer and the rear wall of the cabinet shell. However, as illustrated in FIG. 3, as the drawer is pulled outwardly through the open front portion of the cabinet, the hinge devices open up and extend forwardly to thereupon support the drawer in cantilever manner from the rear corner portions of the cabinet to the rear corner portions of the drawer.

A drawer motion guiding and stabilizing device is preferably employed to stabilize the drawer in its various positions relative to the cabinet, and to guide it against racking or yawing as it moves in and out of the cabinet. For this purpose an equalizer rod and gear device may be employed as shown in the drawing herewith to comprise a rod 30 which carries at its opposite ends spur gears 32-32 which run in racks 34-34 which are fixed to the bottom of the drawer 12. The equalizer rod 30 is supported by bearings as shown at 36-36 based on the cabinet bottom wall structure. However, any other suitable means may be employed in lieu of the equalizer bar device shown herein, to prevent the drawer from racking and binding as it moves in and out of the cabinet.

As best shown in FIG. 2, when the drawer is fully retracted within the cabinet the hinge mechanisms are accordion-folded behind the drawer. At this time the front end of the drawer is disposed immediately above the bearing members 36-36, whereby the bearings are in optimum position relative to the front end of the drawer to share the loads with the hinge mechanisms at the rear end of the drawer. Then, as the drawer is pulled outwardly of the casing the hinge mechanisms open up progressively toward straight-arm cantilever forms as illustrated by FIG. 3, whereby the torsional loads on the hinge plates progressively decrease while the bearing-rail devices 32, 34 operate to guide the drawer against yawing relative to the cabinet shell. Whereas the drawers have been illustrated herein as being of the transverse filing type; that is, horizontally extended for carrying cross-wise stacked correspondence folders, books, or the like; it will be understood that the features of the invention may with equal facility be employed in connection with other type filing drawers such as the more conventional in-depth type filing drawer, or the like.

As illustrated herein, the present invention provides an improved drawer opening motion limiting or stop device for use in filing cabinet devices or the like as aforesaid. As shown herein, the stop device of the invention comprises a bar or strap 40 which is arranged to span the space between the hinge pintle pins 27-27 and to engage therewith at slot-shaped apertured portions 42- 42. The rod 40 is so dimensioned that when the drawer 12 is disposed in cabinet-retracted positions the rod 40 in no way interferes with motions of the drawer. However, when the drawer 12 is moved outwardly to its intended maximum extended position relative to the cabinet, the pins 2727 reach the outer ends of the slots 42-42 of the stopbar 40, and thereupon act to stop the hinge devices 2424 from further opening movements, and thereby indirectly stop the outward travel of the drawer 12. It is of course a feature of this stopbar arrangement that the bar per se is free to float into operative position whenever the drawer reaches the prescribed open or fully extended position without interference with or regard to operation of the drawer equalizer mechanism and/ or the angular attitude of the drawer relative to the cabinet.

Although, as shown by way of example herein, the stopbar 40 is slotted at its opposite ends for slide-pivot connections with the hinge pins 2727, it will be understood that the bar 40 may alternatively be provided with any other form of slide-runner-pivot interconnection means for engagements with the pivot pins 27-27.

Therefore, it will be appreciated that although only one form of the invention has been illustrated and described herein by way of example, various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a filing device comprising a cabinet and a filing drawer adapted for bodily movement horizontally through an open front portion of said cabinet, a combination drawer suspension and movement control mechanism for said drawer including at each opposite side of said cabinet a hinged link unit, each said units comprising,

a pair of relatively hinged links interconnected in articulated relation by means of a first pivot connection device having a vertically extending axis of pivoting, a second pivotal connection device mounting the other end portion of one of said hinged links to a rear portion of said drawer, and a third pivotal connection device mounting the other end portion of the other of said hinged links to a rear wall portion of said cabinet, whereby said link units close in accordion-folding manner toward flat-wise folded conditions into the rearmost portion of the cabinet interior with said first pivot connection devices displaced into the central interior portion of the cabinet when the drawer is moved rearwardly into said cabinet, and whereby said link units hingedly open when said drawer is moved outwards of said cabinet toward its open position thereby displacing said first pivot connection devices toward their respectively adjacent cabinet side walls,

and a drawer movement control mechanism including equalizer means operative to prevent said drawer from yawing when moving in and out of said cabinet and stop means for limiting the outward movement of said drawer relatively to said cabinet.

2. A combination drawer suspension and movement control mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein said stop means comprises a tension strut extending transversely of the cabinet interior, said strut being formed with longitudinally extending slide runner formations at its opposite end portions, said first pivot connection devices respectively engaging one of said slide runner formations in slide-pivot-connected relation therewith,

said strut being longitudinally dimensioned intermediately of the outer terminal end portions of said runner formations so as to limit the opening movements of said link units to such degrees as to stop the drawer opening movement at the prescribed fully extended position for said drawer relative to the cabinet.

3. A combination drawer suspension and movement control mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein said hinged link units are of vertically extended leaf-hinge type thereby providing cantilever type support for said drawer when it moves outwardly of the cabinet.

4. A combination drawer suspension and movement control mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein said strut slide runner formations comprise slots formed in said strut longitudinally thereof accommodating extension therethrough of said first pivot connection devices.

5. A combination drawer suspension and movement control mechanism as set forth in claim wherein said first pivot connection devices comprise vertically extending hinge pins.

6. A combination drawer suspension and movement control mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein said hinged link units are each of vertically extending leafhinge form thereby providing cantilever type support for said drawer when it moves outwardly of the cabinet, and wherein said strut slide runner formations comprise slots formed to extend longitudinally in said strut and to accommodate in slide-pivot connection relation therethrough said pivot connection devices.

7. A combination drawer suspension and movement control mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein said hinged link units are of vertically extended leaf-hinge type and wherein said first pivot connection devices comprise vertically extending hinge pins, and wherein said strut slide runner formations comprise slots formed to extend longitudinally of said strut and accommodating said hinge pins in slide-pivot relation therethrough.

8. A combination drawer suspension and movement control mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein said equalizer means comprises a rigid torque bar journalled in bearings carried by said cabinet at opposite sides thereof, spur gear devices keyed to opposite ends of said torque bar being thereby coupled for simultaneous and equal rotation, and parallel spaced-apart gear racks fixed to the bottom structure of said drawer and meshing respectively with said spur gears.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 316,294 4/1885 Roberts 312-331 427,331 5/1890 Knaus 312331 629,698 7/1899 Miller 312331 874,581 12/1907 Flood 312-331 1,124,570 1/1915 Woltz 312-831 X 2,297,995 10/1942 Wise 312334 X 2,858,180 10/1958 Tashjian et al 312-7X 3,093,429 6/ 1963 Christen et a1 31233 1 3,178,248 4/1965 Bridwell 312-331 FOREIGN PATENTS 850,939 9/1952 Germany.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

J. T. MCCALL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A FILLING DEVICE COMPRISING A CABINET AND A FILLING DRAWER ADAPTED FOR BODILY MOVEMENT HORIZONTALLY THROUGH AN OPEN FRONT PORTION OF SAID CABINET, A COMBINATION DRAWER SUSPENSION AND MOVEMENT CONTROL MECHANISM FOR SAID DRAWER INCLUDING AT EACH OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID CABINET A HINGED LINK UNIT, EACH SAID UNITS COMPRISING, A PAIR OF RELATIVELY HINGED LINKS INTECONNECTED IN ARTICULATED RELATION BY MEANS OF A FIRST PIVOT CONNECTION DEVICE HAVING A VERTICALLY EXTENDING AXIS OF PIVOTING A SECOND PIVOTAL CONNECTION DEVICE MOUNTING THE OTHER END PORTION OF ONE OF SAID HINGED LINKS TO A REAR PORTION OF SAID DRAWER, AND A THIRD PIVOTAL CONNECTION DEVICE MOUNTING THE OTHER END PORTION OF THE OTHER OF SAID HINGED LINKS TO A REAR WALL PORTION OF SAID CABINET, WHEREBY SAID LINK UNITS "CLOSE" IN ACCORDIAN-FOLDING MANNER TOWARD FLAT-WISE FOLDED CONDITIONS INTO THE REARMOST PORTION OF THE CABINET INTERIOR WITH SAID FIRST PIVOT CONNECTION DEVICES DISPLACED INTO THE CENTRAL INTERIIR PORTION OF THE CABINET WHEN THE DRAWER IS MOVED REARWARDLY INTO SAID CABINET, AND WHEREBY SAID LINK UNITS HINGEDLY "OPEN" WHEN SAID DRAWER IS MOVED OUTWARDS OF SAID CABINET TOWARD ITS "OPEN" POSITION THEREBY DISPLACING SAID FIRST PIVOT CONNECTION DEVICES TOWARD THEIR RESPECTIVELY ADJACENT CABINET SIDE WALLS, AND A DRAWER MOVEMENT CONTROL MECHANISM INCLUDING EQUALIZER MEANS OPERATIVE TO PREVENT SAID DRAWER FROM YAWING WHEN MOVING IN AND OUT OF SAID CABINET AND "STOP" MEANS FOR LIMITING THE OUTWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID DRAWER RELATIVELY TO SAID CABINET. 